Primary Menu

Rise of International Schools In China

Interestingly, the rich and educated of China have always been interested in giving their children access to the best education available. The interesting thing is that not only do they generally want their children to have a good educational foundation, but that they want them to have a good international educational foundation.

It’s not really surprising then that the popularity of international schools in china is continuing to increase, prompting the building of more and more new institutions, many of which are run by traditional and reputable British schools.

In order to understand why this increase in popularity has occurred, it is worth explaining the complicated Chinese international school market, which is is incredibly segmented and generally restricts ex-pat and local children so that they attend specific, separate types of schools.

Different Kinds of International Schools In China

In the past, schools that were referred to as SCFWs or Schools for the Children of Foreign Workers were only open to the children of ex-pats, those whose parents have a foreign passport or who were moving to China from other countries in Asia.

However, the reason for the increase in popularity of foreign schools is the introduction of International Chinese Private Schools. These are open to both local Chinese children and ex-pats. They have been established to enable Chinese children to benefit from a more internationally-minded schooling on their home soil. Which is something that is highly in demand among the richest and highly educated families in china.

Why They Are So Popular – Answering The Demand Of Parents

The learning in these kinds of schools is covered in both English and Chinese, giving them a more international flavour. Furthermore, many now offer qualifications that are recognised internationally – such as British A Levels etc.

This in turn helps Chinese nationals to achieve globally recognised qualifications that can then grant them access to Western college and university courses, which in turn would hopefully mean they would be hired by multinational companies.

New International Schools Being Opening In China Over The Next Couple Of Years

Alongside the likes of Dulwich, Harrow and Westminster which all have schools established in China; there are a number of brand new construction projects for British private international schools in China. Over the next couple of years, the following are scheduled to be opening:

Durham School (Tianjin)

St Bee’s School (Shenzhen)

Adocte School and Myddelton College (Shanghai)

Nanwai King’s College School (Wuxi)

Lucton School (Shanghai)

Wycombe Abbey International School (Hangzhou)

While all of the above are set to open over the next year, Uppingham School will be opening during 2019 and Westminster’s latest addition to its family of schools and educational institutes in the Asia country will open in 2020.

As you can see, the demand is quickly being answered to with the expansion of international schools in China. As the government continues to loosen their regulation and segmentation of these schools, it is expected that this expansion will continue to help Chinese children have a global career future.